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Columbia University Professors Calls on President to Denounce Pro-Terror Activism
Shai Davidai speaking at rally in support of Israel, held gather in Washington Square Park, New York, NY, on September 8, 2024. Photo: Lily Ride via Reuters Connect
Columbia University is being called on to respond to accusations that it has enabled the proliferation of antisemitic and pro-terror ideologies on campus.
“Dear Katrina Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia University,” Professor Shai Davidai, a faculty member who is one of the most renown pro-Israel activists in higher education, wrote in an open letter published on the X social media platform. “At some point your bulls—t needs to be called out. At some point, your silence must be addressed. Why haven’t you said anything about CU Apartheid Divest, the faculty supported organization that operates like an ideological terrorist cell? (They would never strap-on a suicide belt, but they praise and support those who do).”
Shai then enumerated a slew of grievances regarding the university’s handling of pro-Hamas and anti-Zionist extremists, including its declining to ever disavow Middle East Studies professor Joseph Massad, who praised Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel and described the men who paraglided into the Nova Music Festival to murder the young people there as “the air force of the Palestinian resistance.” He also cited the university’s allowing pro-Hamas students to crash a memorial service for the men, women, and children who Hamas murdered on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack.
“You know perfectly well that they aren’t criticizing Israel’s policies. You know perfectly well that they’re criticizing its existence,” he continued. “It doesn’t take much to say that praising the death of Israelis is unacceptable. Silence isn’t violence, but it surely enables it. And true leaders never remain silent. Shame on you for not saying anything. Shame on you for your silence.”
The Algemeiner has asked Columbia University to respond to Davidai’s allegations and will update this story if the school responds.
Davidai’s missive follows 15 months of explosions of antisemitic hatred and extremism on Columbia University’s campus, a trend which began immediately after the Oct. 7 massacre. As The Algemeiner has previously reported, the treatment to which pro-Israel Jewish students, faculty, and staff have been subjected since that day is unprecedented in the school’s history. Jewish students have been beaten up, battered with hate speech, and even prevented from publicly promoting their own self defense.
The professor, a native of Israel, has himself been allegedly persecuted for criticizing the university’s alleged indifference to the proliferation of pro-Hamas sentiment.
Columbia launched an investigation of Davidai in February, several months after he described former university president Minouche Shafik as a “coward” for coddling pro-Hamas activists who, after the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, waged a campaign of harassment, intimidation, and violence to demoralize Jewish students and pressure the university into boycotting Israel. The immediate cause cited for the inquiry, as told to The Algemeiner by the professor, was a series of spurious accusations that his denunciations of mass casualty events inspired by jihadist extremism equated to racism against Muslims and minorities of color.
Undeterred by what appeared to Davidai and his lawyers as a cynical attempt to use the disciplinary system to silence a political dissident and shroud him in suspicion, the professor continued advocating for Israel’s existence and Jewish civil rights all the way up to the first anniversary of Oct. 7, a day which saw dueling demonstrations held by pro-Hamas and pro-Israel students across the campus. It also saw a fateful exchange of words between Davidai and a Columbia administrator, Cas Holloway, whom the professor reproached for permitting pro-Hamas students to use the Oct. 7 anniversary for celebrating the terrorist organization’s atrocities, which included wantonly murdering Israelis, sexually assaulting Jewish women, and kidnapping over 200 hostages.
Columbia and Davidai’s legal team interpreted what transpired between the professor and Holloway differently. Davidai defended his approach as a genuine expression of grief and concern for the welfare of Jewish students, while Columbia felt that an unmoored professor had engaged in “threats of intimidation, harassment, or other threatening behavior.” Following the incident, Columbia “temporarily” banned him from campus, a severe disciplinary sanction which to this day prevents him from attending university functions and accessing his office.
The professor is not the first to accuse the university of inadequately responding to the misconduct of pro-Hamas activists.
In August, the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce denounced school officials for punishing only a few of the anti-Zionist activists who last spring occupied an administrative building and staged a riot which prompted the university to advise Jews to refrain from coming to campus. According to documents shared by the committee, 18 of the 22 students who were given disciplinary charges for their role in the incident were later upgraded to “good standing” despite the university’s earlier pledge to expel them. Another 31 of 35 who were suspended for illegally occupying the campus with a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” were restored to good standing as well.
Amnestying those students was “disgraceful and unacceptable,” former education committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said at the time.
“The vast majority of the student perpetrators remain in good standing,” she added. “By allowing its own disciplinary process to be thwarted by radical students and faculty, Columbia has waved the white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Columbia University Professors Calls on President to Denounce Pro-Terror Activism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Online Antisemitism Watchdog Group Blasts Kanye West for Exploiting Social Media to ‘Make Racism Cool Again’
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, dressed in a full black leather KKK outfit during his interview with DJ Akademiks that was shared on YouTube on March 31, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
The founder of a nonprofit organization that serves as the world’s first live database of online antisemitism said on Tuesday that Ye’s new song “Heil Hitler” is the rapper’s latest effort to “make racism cool again,” and criticized X for allowing the musician to promote Jew-hatred.
Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, the founder and executive director of CyberWell — which focuses on combating online antisemitism, especially on social media — railed against Ye (who changed his name from Kanye West) the same day the Yeezy founder posted on X the messages “FREE GAZA” and “All racist allowed into the Nazi party.”
The self-described Nazi released last week a song titled “Heil Hitler,” which is the greeting in praise of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler that is given as part of the Nazi salute. The song includes an audio clip of a German speech given by Hitler in 1935. A clip of far-right social media influencer Andrew Tate playing “Heil Hitler” in his car has garnered over 3 million views on X and was reposted by Ye, although the re-post has since been deleted.
On Wednesday, Ye shared on X a video of someone leaving a Chick-fil-A drive-thru on a motor vehicle while playing the “Heil Hitler” track, before parking in front of the fast food restaurant and continuing to play the song. The vehicle had a screen that showed the music video for Ye’s hateful song and the person sitting in the motor vehicle did the Nazi salute twice when a choir on the track sang, “Ni–a, Heil Hitler.”
“Ye’s latest hateful contribution to the world, the song entitled ‘Heil Hitler,’ is part of his unabashed campaign to make racism cool again,” Montemayor said. “By embedding Nazi glorification – including ‘All my ni–as Nazis, ni–a, Heil Hitler’ and quotes from a 1935 Adolf Hitler speech – in pop culture, Ye exploited the algorithmic charge and large reach of social media platforms to normalize and spread Jew-hatred to millions.”
“As a repeat offender, duping advertisers, the Super Bowl production, and abusing music and social media platforms, this moment should be met with swift and scalable action by all digital service providers with any Ye footprint,” Montemayor added. “But, most importantly, a succinct response is needed by the platform that has systematically granted Ye and other celebrity antisemites their largest audiences in the space — the platform formerly known as Twitter.”
Many others have previously criticized the Elon Musk-owned social media platform for not removing Ye from X because of his antisemitic actions. Earlier this year, Jewish actor David Schwimmer asked Musk, who acquired the company in late 2022, to ban rapper Ye from X because of his antisemitic comments and his decision to sell a shirt that features a Nazi swastika.
The groups Campaign Against Antisemitism and StopAntisemitism have both called on Musk to delete Ye’s account from X. StopAntisemitism said in part: “Ye has twice as many followers on X as there are Jews on earth. His obsession with us isn’t just deranged — it’s dangerous. Kanye is a deeply troubled man, but also a powerful one. Deplatform him before his violent rhetoric turns into violent action.”
Despite efforts by other social media platforms to ban the “Heil Hitler” song and music video, X has yet to delete the music video that Ye posted on his account last week. The clip has thus far garnered more than 9 million views.
In 2022, Ye was temporarily suspended from X when he made antisemitic remarks, but shortly after returned to the platform to share more hateful comments targeting Jews.
CyberWell works with leading social media platforms to identify and remove antisemitic content. Its artificial intelligence-powered technologies scan social media in English and Arabic for posts that promote antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and violence against Jews. CyberWell’s analysts review the harmful content and report it to platform moderators.
In regards to the song “Heil Hitler,” Spotify and SoundCloud have both removed Ye’s new track, but alternate versions and snippets of the song have been shared by Ye’s supporters and still appear on the platforms. The same is true on YouTube and Apple Music, where a Ye fan uploaded the song under the title “HH,” but it has since been removed. On Reddit, versions of the song were shared in subreddits dedicated to Ye and other rappers.
A Reddit spokesperson told NBC News the platform is actively working to remove uploads and posts related to the song. “Hate and antisemitism have absolutely no place on Reddit. We have strict rules against hateful content, “the spokesperson explained. “In line with our sitewide rules, we are removing the song and any celebration of its message.”
Meanwhile, comedian and actor Russell Brand shared the music video for “Heil Hitler” on his X account on Monday, and defended Ye in a post online and on his podcast last week. The host of “Stay Free with Russell Brand” said the song has “a good hook,” and that Ye is a “true artist” and “uncancellable.” Similar sentiments were expressed on X by far-right American political commentator Candace Owens.
Montemayor condemned several social media platforms for their inaction in removing Ye’s hateful “Heil Hitler” song, starting with X.
“While YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok made speedy and clear attempts to demonetize Ye’s accounts and remove the presence of the song at scale, X platformed this hatred for more than 6.5 million views,” she explained, before turning her attention to Facebook and Instagram. She said the Meta-owned social media platforms “failed to moderate this content and its reposted formats, despite clearly violating Holocaust-denial and distortion policies.”
“The comments sections, even to content condemning the song across social media platforms, has been rife with open Jew-hatred — another testament to the negligence of social media platforms to enforce their policies where they effect users most,” Montemayor added. “The response, or lack thereof, on the part of the social media platforms to this latest celebrity-led assault of hatred is a litmus test for how seriously they take the issue of antisemitism and platform safety. CyberWell will continue to assist our Trusted Partners in optimizing their response to Ye’s latest abomination with clear and expert antisemitism compliance guidance.”
The post Online Antisemitism Watchdog Group Blasts Kanye West for Exploiting Social Media to ‘Make Racism Cool Again’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Belgian Police Raid Mohels’ Homes in Antwerp, Sparking Outrage in Jewish Community
Police pictured at an Anderlecht supporters village at the Atomium, before the final of the ‘Croky Cup’ Belgian soccer cup, between Club Brugge and RSC Anderlecht, May 4, 2025. Photo: BELGA/HATIM KAGHAT via Reuters Connect
Belgian police raided the homes of several mohels in Antwerp, a northern Belgian city, seizing their circumcision tools after a local Jewish rabbi filed a complaint — an incident that has sparked outrage within the local Jewish community.
A mohel is a trained practitioner who performs the ritual circumcision in Jewish tradition known as a bris.
On Wednesday, Belgian authorities raided three locations in the Jewish Quarter, searching for knives and other equipment allegedly used in unauthorized or illegal circumcisions. However, local police confirmed that no arrests were made during the operation.
Among the homes raided by the Belgian police was that of Rabbi Aharon Eckstein, a highly experienced mohel and a prominent leader within the Antwerp Jewish community.
In an interview with the publication JNS, Eckstein said the raid took place around 5 am.
“They didn’t say much. They just looked through the place and took my kit,” the Jewish leader said.
He also expressed his intention to continue performing circumcisions, as he had not received any instruction to stop such practice.
According to a police report, the searches were ordered by a judge following a complaint filed in 2023 by Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Friedman against Eckstein and other mohels within the Jewish community.
Prosecutors have been investigating illegal circumcisions in the country since last fall, amid concerns from local authorities that Jewish circumcisions are being carried out by individuals without proper medical training.
In his complaint, Friedman accused six mohels, whom he identified to the police, of endangering infants by performing the metzitzah b’peh ritual, in which the mohel uses his mouth to suction blood from the circumcision area.
However, Eckstein and other rabbis, along with parents of children circumcised by them, have denied such accusations, insisting that they do not perform this practice.
In Antwerp, Friedman is known for publicly criticizing several customs that are important to ultra-Orthodox Jews, who represent the majority of the city’s 18,000 Jewish residents.
The European Jewish Association (EJA) condemned the government’s handling of the issue, claiming it threatens freedom of religion.
“This constitutes yet another red line crossed in the intimidation of Jewish religious figures in Belgium,” Rabbi Mencahem Margolin, chairman of the EJA, said in a post on the social media platform X.
“Following the ban on shechita [kosher ritual slaughter], the harassment of mohels represents a further red line and a clear warning sign to Belgian Jews and the Belgian government. Freedom of religion must be upheld!” he continued.
The European Jewish Association (EJA) strongly condemns the police raid on the Mohels’ premises in Antwerp this morning.
EJA Chairman, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, say that this constitutes yet another red line crossed in the intimidation of Jewish religious figures in Belgium.…— EJA – EIPA (@EJAssociation) May 14, 2025
Despite several attempts to ban it across Europe, ritual circumcision remains legal in all European countries, though many, including Belgium, limit the practice to licensed surgeons and often perform it in a synagogue.
Last year, the Irish government arrested a London-based rabbi for allegedly performing a circumcision without the required medical credentials, marking the first arrest of a rabbi in Europe in years related to a bris.
The post Belgian Police Raid Mohels’ Homes in Antwerp, Sparking Outrage in Jewish Community first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Has Invitation to Visit Iran, but Dates Have Yet to Be Set, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a ceremony to sign an agreement of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has an invitation to visit Iran, but the dates have not yet been agreed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Iran‘s government spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani was quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday as saying that Putin‘s visit to Iran “is currently being worked out.”
Moscow and Tehran signed a 20-year strategic partnership agreement in January, the two countries have supplied each other with weapons, and Russia has defended what it says is Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy.
“Indeed, President Putin has an invitation to pay an official or working visit to Iran. The dates have not yet been agreed. As soon as they are agreed, we will inform you,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about a possible visit.
“We highly value our partnership with this country and we highly value the depth of our relationship in a wide variety of areas.”
The last time Putin visited Iran was in 2022, months after he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.
The post Putin Has Invitation to Visit Iran, but Dates Have Yet to Be Set, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.